The 2016/2017 application has been open for a week and a few applicants have already submitted their applications! For those of you just starting your application or working your way through it, this post is a chance to ask general questions. If you have a specific question that pertains to your particular situation, please email us through the application system instead. Just a reminder – please check the Help Guide before you post a question or email us.
We will be disabling comments to posts from the previous application cycle in late summer, so please post your 2016/2017 questions here.
What do you think the impact of waiving prerequisites will be on the number of applicants, AQs and NAQs?
Any predictions would be more like speculations at this point, so we’ll have to wait and see! However, many applicants have shared their opinions on what impact they believe the prerequisite changes will have on GPAs – you can check out the “GPA Concerns” post and related comments to read their thoughts.
Will UBC give preference to students who have already completed all of the recommended courses (the former science pre-requisites)?
Applicants who have completed the recommended courses will not be given preference in terms of something like getting extra AQ points, but if they have done well in the courses they will have clearly demonstrated their competency in chemistry and biology, which is something we expect from all applicants.
Quick Question! Sorry if this isn’t the write place to ask–if I could be redirected that would be great. I wanted to ask if there is any opinion from admissions on elective courses taken online? I am a science major and I have my science courses but I’m intending to do some “gpa boosters” online. Does the admissions committee recognize typical UBC online gpa boosters and dislike these on applications? Thanks so much!
Online courses are fine and we understand that personal interests may lead applicants to complete elective requirements in a variety of areas. However, we would discourage you from signing up for courses you think of as only ‘online gpa boosters.’ You have the chance to take courses you would actually care about and benefit from, and you may do just as well or even better in them than in the ‘online gpa booster’ courses. We may not be able to say if an individual course is easy or hard, but if your transcript suggests you were not able to sustain a challenging course load for some reason, that might raise concerns. Medical school is intense and challenging, and we need to know that applicants will be able to handle it.
Hello! Another question here: Will grades from completed years of university undergraduate professional programs such as Dentistry, Optometry, Pharmacy, Law etc get included in the academic average calculation? Thanks!
Courses with grades from most undergraduate professional programs like Dentistry, Pharmacy and Law will be included in the academic average calculation. Due to the fact that most Optometry programs are located outside of Canada, we would need to review these programs on a case-by-case basis before making a decision.
If we previously applied to the program, is our prior application kept on file and compared to our current application, or is it only our new application that will be evaluated? Thanks in advance!
Only your current year’s application is evaluated. We do have access to your previous application, but it would be unusual for us to go back to it.
How important are publications? Does it give someone an advantage over an applicant who doesn’t have any?
And it the presentations/publications sections, what counts as a “presentation”? Do undergraduate conferences/research days count?
We are interested in any publications you have, but many applicants apply without them. Publications are a part of the non-academic review and unfortunately we do not disclose exactly how we score the non-academic sections of the application.
You are welcome to include presentations you give at undergraduate conferences or research days on your application. There are “University” and “Department/Hospital” options available on the dropdown menu for you to indicate the level of the event.
Do presentations completed within an undergraduate course count as a presentation? E.g. I have completed many research presentations to my class as part of undergraduate biology and psychology courses. Or are you referring exclusively to research-based presentations at conferences, etc.
We are referring to research presentations at conferences or other similar venues. This includes department- or university-level student research conferences, but not class presentations.
Hello,
I’m just wondering what role does the MCAT score play in the admission process. From what I have gathered, during pre-interview, it’s just pass/fail and not counted towards AQ or NAQ. For post-interview, it is only used when 2 applicants have very similar profiles and need to be ranked. Is that right?
If not, are any of the sections weighed more than others? I know many schools value CARS and do not really look at the behaviors sciences, but I’m not sure about UBC’s policy.
Thanks in advance!
Pre-interview, we make sure everyone has an exam that meets our minimum score and date requirements, but the score itself is not a factor in determining who gets an interview. Post-interview, the MCAT is part of the holistic review process. We do not reveal exactly how we use the MCAT, so take any theories you hear about with a grain of salt. Same with section weightings – we keep this confidential, sorry.
Hello,
For the Diversity of Experiences section, if we participate in an activity that is not with a specific organization, what would be appropriate to put in the “organization” box? For example, if someone plays piano every week at home but doesn’t perform at events and isn’t taking lessons.
Thank you!
You can enter something like “Hobby – no organization” or “Solo activity – no organization.”
Follow-up question: who do you write as a verifier? E.g., if you’re a recreational golfer that plays either alone or with friends, but don’t play competitively on a team, do you write yourself as a verifier, or your friends?
In this case, it would be ok to put down one of the friends you play with regularly.
Another follow up question: if I’ve taken piano lessons for many years (with several different teachers) and then, after finishing all the levels, continued to play recreationally at home, who would I use as my verifier?
The deadline has passed now – thank you for doing your best to find an appropriate verifier!
Dear admin,
I was wondering if the name of the journal can be entered for the “Periodical or Conference Name” if the paper is published
Yes, please enter the journal name in that field.
Dear admin,
I was wondering what should be included for the description of awards.
Thanks
As stated in the Help Guide, “The description should include the criteria for how this award was given.” Please include a brief summary of what the award is based on, such as grades, leadership, community service hours, affiliation with a particular group, athletic ability, etc.
Hello,
I was wondering if there was a starting cutoff date for Non Academic Activities? I only see one for the high performance category and I saw on last years questions post there was no cutoff for other activities.
Thanks,
The deadline has passed. Thank you for using your best judgement to complete your application!
Hi there,
I was wondering if I declined an offer from another Canadian med school last year and applied to UBC during this cycle – would UBC now of the declined admission? If so, would it affect my chances of getting in to UBC?
Thanks,
Hailey
Hi Admissions,
I was wondering whether errors or clarifications reported through the email system on the application will be taken into consideration when evaluating a candidate’s application? Some of my verifiers at the volunteering events reported mistaken information when I asked for my record number of hours or starting/end dates etc and since these were out of my control, (I had simply reported what they told me and then emailed as soon as I discovered an inconsistency) will this be viewed unfavourably in my application?
Thanks in advance!
Corrections are reviewed by file evaluators, so thank you for contacting us to correct your hours. We can’t say to what extent changes made after the deadline will affect an application since every situation is unique, but it is important to inform us of such changes since they serve as important points of clarification if a verifier notes that the details of an activity are incorrect. It’s better for this information to come from the applicant rather than the verifier.
We encourage applicants to contact their verifiers before submitting the application in order to ensure all of the details listed are accurate, and to address any discrepancies between the applicant’s records and those of the verifier.
Hi Admissions,
My husband is waiting to hear back regarding school in various provinces. Am I therefore able to accept more than one offer from medical schools while waiting for him to hear back?
Thanks!
If you have already accepted an offer to another Canadian medical school and receive an offer to UBC, you can accept the UBC offer, but you will need to withdraw your acceptance to the other school as soon as possible. You cannot hold a position at more than one Canadian medical school at the same time.
Hi Admissions,
I was wondering if marks for individual courses will be looked at in addition to the GPA/AGPA and if they will have any impact our academic score. I have 95+ in most of my courses except English which I performed poorly in (B+ for both). Should my low English marks be a concern or will it be outweighed by my strong performance in my other courses? Also, regarding the adjusted GPA, if my lowest year dropped contains my English courses will they still be looked at during academic review or will they be ignored despite being the only prerequisite for applying to UBC.
Thanks!
The AQ score is based only on your overall GPA or adjusted GPA (if applicable), but all of your grades are available on your transcript and can be reviewed as a part of your application. This includes grades that are excluded from the adjusted GPA calculation.
As you mention, English is a prerequisite. Physicians must possess strong communication skills, and English course grades can help us to assess your level of proficiency in English. However, it’s important to keep in mind that other aspects of your application, such as MCAT scores, can also contribute to our understanding of your English abilities.
Thank you for the response! Just a quick follow-up question: since only the GPA is accounted for in the AQ score, do individual course marks only contribute to the overall holistic review? Also, how important is the holistic review in deciding admission offers? If I received a very competitive TFR and interview score that would, under normal circumstances, merit an offer, would it be possible to be rejected due to the holistic review? Thanks again!
During the holistic review, all aspects of your file can come into play. The holistic review is an important part of the admissions process. Unfortunately, it is possible to be rejected for something that surfaces during the holistic review (through references, for example), even if an applicant has a high TFR and interview score.
Hi Admissions,
It is stated on your website that the best eligible MCAT is used for assessment. Does this rule only apply to pre-interview MCAT cutoffs? In the event that an applicant writes the MCAT more than once, is only one MCAT sitting assessed in the post-interview holistic review process?
Thanks!
All of your MCAT scores are available, but the focus is very much on your best eligible exam. If lower scores are viewed at all, they are looked at only in a background or contextual way (they might show that your scores have improved over time, for example).